Research Abstracts Online
January 2009 - March 2010

University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Medical School
Department of Psychiatry

PI: Tonya J. White
Co-PI: Kelvin O. Lim

Disruption of Optimized Neural Networks in Schizophrenia

Recent explorations into the pathogenesis of schizophrenia utilizing neuroimaging techniques have pointed to aberrations in neuronal connectivity within specific brain regions. These regions include the frontal cortex, temporal lobe, thalamus, basal ganglia, and the cerebellum. The theory is that disruptions in the connectivity of these networks can explain the vast array of clinical symptoms present in individuals with schizophrenia. The determination of an etiology that accounts for auditory hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and thought, cognitive deficits, and negative symptoms has been one of the perplexing questions for researchers exploring the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

These researchers are using MSI resources in their studies of brain structure with regards to the development of schizophrenia.